Homosexuality in "North by Northwest"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes Alfred Hitchcock's film "North by Northwest," while detailing the areas in which the director inserted homosexual references, albeit on a sub-textual level. This paper discusses the critical analyses of Robin Wood, author of "The Murderous Gays: Hitchcock's Homophobia" and D.A. Miller author "Anal Rope," who both explore Hitchcock's use of gay images in many of his films. This well-written paper details the manner in which the main character of Roger Thornhill's homosexuality is portrayed as perverse. The writer of this paper clearly describes how Thornhill's character is at first gay, his perception of the perversity of homosexuality which force him to become somebody else, resulting in his being reborn as a heterosexual. This paper also touches on the attitude of the film industry in the 1940s and 1950s regarding the issue of homosexuality, which at the time was considered illegal.

From the Paper:

"The scene at Townsend's is a critical situation in Thornhill's character development. This is the first time that Thornhill is introduced to Van Damme, and at this point, Van Damme closes the drapes and turns on the lights. This presents two points that portray a homoerotic meaning. First, drapes in Hitchcock movies are usually portrayed as vaginal symbols. When Van Damme closes the drapes, he is denying Thornhill any kind of heterosexual sex. His turning on the light symbolizes the lighting of Thornhill's passion for Van Damme. The other point is that, with the drapes closed, they are free to do whatever they want without the intrusion of voyeuristic eyes. This is the beginning of the subtextual homoerotic relationship between Thornhill and Van Damme, which will play a major part in the overall context of homosexuality in the film."

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